It was the opening meet for the Whitehall track and field team, the first leg of a long journey that demonstrated they have a number of athletes who may wind up making reservations at Shippensburg hotels in about two months.

The Zephs gained a split against Emmaus High School with the boys winning 81-68, while the girls dropped a close affair, 78-72.

The meet was punctuated by a number of peak performances, notably Kyleem Harrison who won four events, while J.C. Falcon and Brian Plucinsky won two for the Zephs.

Head coach Jim Sebesta said that the Harrison had a superb meet, accounting for 20 of their 81 points. The senior was first in the long (20-07.50) and triple jumps (30-05.00), and then showcased his speed in the 100 meters crossing the line in 11.8. He then followed that up with a win in the 110 meter hurdles, breaking then tape in 16.5.

"Going in we needed Kyleem to be strong, and he didn't disappoint," said Sebesta.

Sebesta said that Harrison is a tireless worker, always striving to win each event. Against the Green Hornets, the senior Kyleemed up the competition, winning every event in which participated.

Falcon also showed why his name will be mentioned among the best in the Lehigh Valley conference this year. The senior won the 400 meters 53.5, was second in the high jump (6-02.00), and was part of the winning 4x800 team along with Plucinsky, Elliot Miller and Calvin Schneck (8:28.9).

"He's just an amazing kid who works really hard," said Sebesta.

Plucinsky was first in the 800 meters, as well as part of the winning relay. Distance runner Gabe Lamm picked up where he left off after a strong indoor season, winning the 3,200 in 10:34.2, while Schneck came in second at 10:34.9.

In the sprints, Daniel El-Haj picked up two third-place finishes, with a 12.0 mark in the 100 and a 24.6 finish in the 200. Kurt Koehler was second in the 400 (54.9), while Andrew Frisch was second in the 800 (2:15.2).

Sebesta said that Frisch had a good meet, picking up those much needed points to help cement the victory. That was also true of Isaiah Carey who was third in the long (18-01.00) and high jumps (5-06.00).

The 4x100 team also captured first as Zack Hixson, Charles Mikhail, Jarred Mittl and Ronnie Okungu crossed the line in 47.7.

In the throwing events, Nick Nejad was first in the javelin, besting the field with a 148-05 mark, while Scott Howett finished third with a 124-05 toss. Additionally, Jeffrey Cordon was third in the discus with a 94-08 heave.

Finally, Elliot Miller won the pole vault, clearing the bar at 9-09.00.

The girls also had multiple winners with Ivanna Jones nabbing top honors in three events, while Alyssa Holland found then winner's circle twice.

Jones was first in high jump (4-10.00) and the long jump (14-04.50) and was part of the winning 4x100 team that included Kourtney Cunningham, Decontee Krayee and Arianie Pizarro which won in 52.7.

Holland won hurdle events, finishing at 18.5 in the 100 meters, then pacing the field in the 300 with a 53.4 mark.

Sebesta said that Holland started to make strides late last year, showing she had the potential to be a consistent place-winner in the hurdles. She demonstrated that ability with a dual win.

"She just went out and ran with confidence," said Sebesta. "That's been the biggest thing. She's getting better and better every week."

Jones was part of a crew that had a strong showing in the jumps, sweeping the long and triple jumps, and nabbing first and second in the high jump. Joining her in the points brigade

Sebesta said that Jones was strong the entire meet, helping the Zephs pull close to the Green Hornets. He said the girls had a chance to win, but couldn't bridge the gap.

While the Zephs have an experienced sprinting quad, the Hornets were able to dominate the 100 and 200, with only Kourtney Cunningham able to crack into the top three in the 200 with a third-place finish. Sebesta said that the Hornets are a strong sprinting team and they showed that prowess by nabbing 26 out of 27 points in the 100, 200 and 400 meters.

In the 800, Angela Stella came in second (2:28.5), losing to Hanna Brosky, one of the best runners in the area Sebesta said that Stella "was right there" but couldn't overcome the reigning district champ.

Stella also finished second in the 1,600, crossing the line in 5:42.8.

Emily Brand was first in the 3,200 with a 12:26.9 mark, while Jillian Kreglow finished third in the 100 hurdles with a 19.5 time.

Taylor Hamscher had a strong meet, finishing second in the pole vault (8-00.00) and long jump (14-03.50) and first in the triple jump (31-11.00).

Kreglow and Millets were also prominent in the jumps with Kreglow finishing third in the long jump (13-02.00) while Millets was second in the triple jump (29-06.75).

In the throwing events, Madison Scarfaro won the shot put with a 25-11.00 toss, while Vanessa Hadeed finished third with a 24-11.00 mark.

The discus was won by Natalie Saraceni (70-02), while Scarfaro took second with a 63-10 heave.

Sebesta said that it was a good performance to open the season, one in which it was tough to get onto the track to practice.

"It was a great effort by everybody," he said.